Kaval under truce, but still simmering

An uneasy calm prevails in the village of Kaval where an incident of eve-teasing led to the death of three youths and brought the entire state to a boil.

Jats and Sainis of the village say, on August 27 two Jat youths Gaurav, 18, and his cousin Sachin, 24, allegedly killed a Muslim named Shahnawaz, 21, after one of their sisters complained of persistent eve-teasing by him.

The incident happened in a Muslim-dominated area where the two boys were cornered and beaten to death.

Currently, a large faction of the police including an SP is present in the village camping at the 'chauraha' where the dead bodies of Gaurav and Sachin were found. But just scratch the surface and communal fault lines are visible.

"Shahnawaz was always a trouble maker. He had also slapped a police officer few days back. He constantly passed comments on the Jat girl. Her brother objected and that is how the incident took place," says Mahendra Singh, a resident of village.

"Shahnawaz was always a trouble maker. Two years back, he even ran away with a Muslim girl. He had also slapped a police officer few days back. One of the relatives was a history-sheeter at the local police station. He constantly passed comments on the Jat girl. Her brother objected and that is how the incident took place," says Mahendra Singh, a resident of village.

But Muslims of the village do not have any eve-teasing in their narration. They say Shahnawaz was just young and a little hot-blooded.

Meanwhile, 41 cartridges of AK 47 rifles were seized in Baghpat after a few incidents of stone-pelting were reported. The police claimed the situation was under control.